The Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Environmental and Social Policy Framework (ESPF) requires Borrowers to establish and maintain a process for identifying, assessing, and managing, the environmental and social impacts of a project. This includes project-related impacts on the health, safety, and well-being of communities. The ESPF has 10 Environmental and Social Performance Standards (ESPS) for how impacts should be identified, assessed, and managed. ESPF 4 on Community Health, Safety and Security sets out the responsibilities of Borrowers to minimize the impacts of a project on community health, safety, and wellbeing. Other ESPSs that also relate to ESPS 4 on Community Health, Safety, and Security include: ESPS 2 on Labor and Working Conditions, ESPS 3 on Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention, ESPS 5 on Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement, ESPS 6 on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources, and ESPS 9 on Gender Equality. The ESPF recommends that Borrowers carry out a Health Impact Assessment (HIA), in its environmental and social risks and impacts identification process, as the optimal way to systematically identify, assess, and manage project-related community health impacts. This document provides guidance on conducting Health Impact Assessments in accordance with international good practice and the requirements of the IDB’s ESPF and ESPSs.

Health impact assessment guide: Environmental and Social Solutions Unit – Health impact assessment

Resource Key: 9QTEANFV

Document Type: Report

Creator:

Author:

  • Inter-American Development Bank

Creators Name: {mb_resource_zotero_creatorsname}

Place: Washington D.C.

Institution: Inter-American Development Bank

Date: 2025

Language: en

The Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Environmental and Social Policy Framework (ESPF) requires Borrowers to establish and maintain a process for identifying, assessing, and managing, the environmental and social impacts of a project. This includes project-related impacts on the health, safety, and well-being of communities. The ESPF has 10 Environmental and Social Performance Standards (ESPS) for how impacts should be identified, assessed, and managed. ESPF 4 on Community Health, Safety and Security sets out the responsibilities of Borrowers to minimize the impacts of a project on community health, safety, and wellbeing. Other ESPSs that also relate to ESPS 4 on Community Health, Safety, and Security include: ESPS 2 on Labor and Working Conditions, ESPS 3 on Resource Efficiency and Pollution Prevention, ESPS 5 on Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement, ESPS 6 on Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Management of Living Natural Resources, and ESPS 9 on Gender Equality. The ESPF recommends that Borrowers carry out a Health Impact Assessment (HIA), in its environmental and social risks and impacts identification process, as the optimal way to systematically identify, assess, and manage project-related community health impacts. This document provides guidance on conducting Health Impact Assessments in accordance with international good practice and the requirements of the IDB’s ESPF and ESPSs.

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